Lee's Salois, Jumper sign with MC

Published 2:02 pm, Friday, June 4, 2010

Midland College baseball coach David Coleman didn't expect any package deals this recruiting season. Not only did he land one in a pair of Lee Rebels, you could say it was a value pack of recruits.

Coleman received commitments from Lee's Nick Salois and Austin Jumper, adding to his roster two players with the ability to pitch, hit and play in the field.

"They have tremendous upside," Coleman said. "They're extremely athletic, big and strong. Both have a chance to help us both on the mound and with the bat. Where they excel at remains to be seen, but they have a lot of tools we believe can help us."

Coleman said whether or not Salois or Jumper will continue to pitch and play in the field for the Chaparrals will sort itself out in time. Until then, his goal is to maximize their skills. Salois and Jumper put those skills on display during their three-year varsity careers with the Rebels.

At the plate, Salois hit .367, which was second only to Jumper among players with at least 20 at bats, and drove in 19 runs and scored 24 runs. He added a team-high five home runs and tied with Jumper for the team lead with nine doubles. On the mound, Salois' 5.21 ERA, while high, was the second best on the team and he struck out 58 batters in 47 innings compared to just 20 walks.

Salois has gotten to know Coleman and his staff well at camps run by MC and he said he has no preference as to how he's used with the Chaps. He's leaving that call up to Coleman.

"I'm just going to go with the flow and seeing what works out best for me," Salois said. "They know what they're doing and they'll get me in the right spot. It's real exciting to pitch and play in the field. I love pitching and fielding. For me, playing both helps. If one doesn't work out, I always have the other one."

As for Jumper, his .379 average led all Rebels with at least 20 at bats and he added a team-high 33 hits and scored 21 runs. He also hit two home runs, two triples, nine doubles, drove in 18 runs and stole four bases. As a pitcher, Jumper struck out 38 batters in 29.2 innings, but also walked 34. The walks were a concern to Coleman, but he was encouraged by Jumper's performance late in the season.

"I really think he's got a chance to be really good on the mound and he's not a bad outfielder," Coleman said. "He's never had a whole lot of consistency throwing a lot of strikes, but his last two or three starts he was able to throw strikes and go deep into games. Coach (Danny) Neighbors did a really good job of helping him develop a slider to help him go deeper into games."

Jumper said even he looked at himself as more of a hitter than a pitcher entering his senior year, but an observer at a camp before the season told him he had potential as a pitcher and he took the conversation to heart. Now he's looking forward to continuing to develop as a pitcher.

"The plan is to do both the first year and then do what I'm more comfortable with the next year," Jumper said. "I like to pitch, I like the ball in my hand, but I don't want to say pitching only, because I love to hit."

Salois said he and Jumper have played baseball together since they were in fourth grade, so it only seems logical they would jump at the opportunity to play together in college.

However, it's more coincidence than anything that the two will suit up for the Chaps next season. That doesn't mean it doesn't have some special meaning to them, though.

"It was weird," Jumper said. "We didn't really plan it. It just kind of happened. Nick's one of my good friends and we've played together for years, so now we'll get to play at least two more. Who knows from there?"